Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta defends giving sex predator Jeffrey Epstein the plea deal of the century

When Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta was a federal prosecutor in 2008 he gave sex predator Jeffrey Epstein a joke of a plea deal on sex crime charges. Epstein was given a 13-month prison sentence, but the billionaire spent most of the time in his plush office. He never faced federal charges. Now that Epstein has been arrested on additional charges of sickening sex crimes against children, people are asking Acosta why the hell he let Epstein off the hook the first time around by giving him a secret deal that a federal judge ruled had violated the victims' rights. At a press conference, Acosta answered that question by telling reporters that he did the best he could, that times have changed since 2008, and that the victims weren't cooperative enough. He concluded his statement by lavishing fulsome praise on President Trump.

CBS News White House correspondent Paula Reid, a former federal prosecutor, said Acosta's defense is bogus. "They had potentially dozens of witnesses they could have used to push this case forward," she said.

Image: YouTube/CBS News